Latest news with #Delo
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police investigating missing Slovenian statue of Melania Trump
May 16 (UPI) -- A bronze statue of first lady Melania Trump was stolen from its perch in a city in her home country of Slovenia, five years after it replaced a wooden sculpture damaged by arson. Police confirmed Friday they are now investigating after the bronze statue went missing earlier in the week from the Slovenian village of Rozno. "[Police] conducted an inspection of the crime scene and collected information. The investigating judge and the district state prosecutor were informed about the theft," Slovenian National Police Force spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus said in a statement Friday. The Slovenian newspaper Delo reported the statue was "sawed off" at the bottom. Officials unveiled the bronze figure of the first lady in 2020 to replace a wooden statue that was damaged after being lit on fire on July 4 of that year. The statue site is near the first lady's hometown of Sevnica in central Slovenia. Artist Brad Downey constructed the bronze version, based on the original wooden statue crafted by conceptual artist Ales Zupevc, aka Maxi. The damaged wood statue was quickly removed to a museum in Slovenia. Bronze was chosen for the replacement to ensure it was fireproof.
UPI
16-05-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Police investigating missing Slovenian statue of Melania Trump
1 of 3 | A bronze statue of first lady Melania Trump was stolen in a city in her home country of Slovenia, five years after it replaced a wooden sculpture damaged by arson. File Photo by Igor Kupljenik/EPA-EFE May 16 (UPI) -- A bronze statue of first lady Melania Trump was stolen from its perch in a city in her home country of Slovenia, five years after it replaced a wooden sculpture damaged by arson. Police confirmed Friday they are now investigating after the bronze statue went missing earlier in the week from the Slovenian village of Rozno. "[Police] conducted an inspection of the crime scene and collected information. The investigating judge and the district state prosecutor were informed about the theft," Slovenian National Police Force spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus said in a statement Friday. The Slovenian newspaper Delo reported the statue was "sawed off" at the bottom. Officials unveiled the bronze figure of the first lady in 2020 to replace a wooden statue that was damaged after being lit on fire on July 4 of that year. The statue site is near the first lady's hometown of Sevnica in central Slovenia. Artist Brad Downey constructed the bronze version, based on the original wooden statue crafted by conceptual artist Ales Zupevc, aka Maxi. The damaged wood statue was quickly removed to a museum in Slovenia. Bronze was chosen for the replacement to ensure it was fireproof.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Pardons 3 BitMEX Co-Founders Following Guilty Pleas in Money Laundering Case
On March 28, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned three co-founders of the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX—Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed—who had previously pleaded guilty to violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. These violations involved failing to implement Anti-Money Laundering (AML) programs at BitMEX, which led to accusations that the exchange was being used for money laundering. The BitMEX founders' actions were scrutinized by U.S. authorities, who then charged them with operating without proper Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures. In 2022, Hayes, Delo, and Reed agreed to pay a combined $30 million in penalties as part of a settlement with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Additionally, BitMEX, the parent company of the exchange, was fined $100 million in January 2025 for violations that took place between 2015 and 2020. This fine came after a protracted legal battle involving the exchange's failure to comply with U.S. financial regulations. The decision to pardon the BitMEX co-founders follows a series of controversial pardons granted by President Trump, including his previous clemency for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht. The timing of the pardons raised eyebrows, as Hayes, Delo, and Reed had already received sentences that included home arrest and probation. However, the pardon effectively nullifies these penalties, allowing the co-founders to move forward without the burden of further legal consequences. Hayes expressed his gratitude on social media after the news broke, thanking the President for the clemency. The move to pardon the BitMEX co-founders also adds to the growing list of legal and regulatory challenges facing the cryptocurrency industry. BitMEX's legal troubles stemmed from allegations that the exchange allowed U.S. customers to trade without verifying their identities. Additionally, the company was accused of altering customer information to conceal the location of its U.S. clients, which led to further investigations by U.S. authorities. In addition to the legal battles in the U.S., BitMEX has been working on addressing its reputation and regulatory compliance issues. Earlier this year, reports emerged that the exchange was seeking a potential buyer, which may have influenced the timing of the pardon. The exchange has also faced ongoing scrutiny for its role in the broader cryptocurrency market, which continues to navigate complex regulatory environments in the U.S. and abroad. Trump's actions come as his administration has increasingly focused on crypto-related policies, with figures like Hester Peirce, an advocate for crypto-friendly regulation, rising to prominence within his administration. The pardons for Hayes, Delo, and Reed reflect the growing intersection between cryptocurrency and U.S. politics.
USA Today
28-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Trump pardons three founders of BitMEX cryptocurrency exchange convicted of money laundering
Trump pardons three founders of BitMEX cryptocurrency exchange convicted of money laundering Show Caption Hide Caption Crypto prices jump after Trump sets plan for US strategic reserve Prices for bitcoin and the like have soared after Donald Trump set out plans for a U.S. cryptocurrency reserve. He said in a social media post that the stockpile would include bitcoin and ether, as well as smaller tokens XRP, solana and cardano. WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump has granted pardons to three founders of the BitMEX cryptocurrency exchange, according to a source familiar with the clemency. The co-founders – Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed – previously pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count each of violating the Bank Secrecy Act for flouting money laundering rules and failing to police the exchange. Trump signed the pardons Thursday without publicizing the action. BitMEX was fined $100 million in January for violating the Bank Secrecy Act by willfully failing to establish, implement, and maintain an adequate anti-money laundering and know-your-customer program. Delo issued a statement Friday saying the Justice Department "wrongfully targeted BitMEX and its co-founders." Delo also expressed his gratefulness to Trump for the pardon. 'This full and unconditional pardon by President Trump is a vindication of the position we have always held – that BitMEX, my co-founders and I should never have been charged with a criminal offense through an obscure, antiquated law," Delo said. "As the most successful crypto exchange of its kind, we were wrongfully made to serve as an example, sacrificed for political reasons and used to send inconsistent regulatory signals." "A legal wrong has been righted today and despite the distress I have been through over the past few years I'm pleased to have cleared my name and to be able to continue my life and philanthropic work without the burden of an unfounded conviction," Delo added. More: Trump pardons Trevor Milton, founder of bankrupt truck maker Nikola convicted of fraud Federal prosecutors had said as cryptocurrencies proliferate, companies engaged in the virtual economy become critical gatekeepers to ensure markets are fair, efficient and secure. Then-U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the founders of Bitcoin Mercantile Exchange, nicknamed BitMEX, failed to implement even basic anti-money laundering policies. 'They allowed BitMEX to operate as a platform in the shadows of the financial markets,' Williams said. BitMEX is an online cryptocurrency derivatives exchange that served thousands of U.S. customers, according to court records. From at least September 2015 through the indictment of the founders in September 2020, the company "was in effect a money laundering platform," according to court records. The company's website advertised that 'no real name or other advanced verification is required on BitMEX,' according to court records. Reed wrote an email in August 2015 that BitMEX's advantages included 'the freedom to create an account without onerous KYC requirements,' referring to the federal requirements to 'know your customer.' Reed was notified in May 2018 of allegations that BitMEX was being used to launder the proceeds of a cryptocurrency hack, prosecutors said in court records. But neither Reed nor the company filed a suspicious activity report with the Treasury Department. Hayes of Miami and Delo of the United Kingdom and Hong Kong each pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of violating the Bank Secrecy Act. Each agreed to pay a $10 million fine. Reed pleaded guilty in March 2022 to the same crime and agreed to the same penalty. Hayes was sentenced in May 2022 to two years of probation, with the first six months in home detention. Delo was sentenced in June 2022 to 30 months of probation. Reed was sentenced in July 2022 to 18 months of probation. Prosecutors disagreed with the sentences, arguing that they should have been above the federal guidelines applied in the case because of the seriousness of the crimes. This story has been updated with more information.
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Uefa president Ceferin makes candid intervention on European politics
The president of Uefa, Aleksander Ceferin, has made an outspoken intervention in European politics, claiming 'freedom of speech no longer exists' and 'we are all fed up of political correctness'. In a wide-ranging series of remarks Ceferin attacked European politicians over their handling of the Ukraine war and for 'preaching to the world'. He even joked that the only 'great thing' the EU has done is to mandate that bottle tops should not be detachable. Speaking to Delo, a newspaper from his home country of Slovenia, Ceferin began by praising his new expanded Champions League format, which he described as 'perfect'. But he soon moved into politics, and his perception that Europe is 'losing out in every way' because of regulation and what he sees as moral grandstanding. 'We should unite, but I don't know if that is possible,' Ceferin says. 'We should open up and stop regulating the market so much. No one, not even China, should be our enemy – and it isn't – we should treat everyone as partners. We preach to others how they should behave, but we have a problem doing exactly that ourselves. 'We are all fed up with political correctness. Here in the western world, freedom of speech no longer exists. You can no longer say what you think. On one hand, there are the right-wing populists who have a simple rhetoric – migrants are taking your jobs and engaging in crime, LGBT propaganda will make families non-existent, they will destroy your children, and so on. This is such simplistic populist rhetoric that anyone can understand it. On the other hand, almost all western mainstream politics (it is neither left- nor right-wing) and most of the mainstream media are addressing people from the intellectual and arrogant high ground.' Ceferin argued that, because 'no one can say what they think any more, except stand-up comedians', the counter-argument to right-wing populism is not being made. 'Nobody talks to the people, nobody explains to them that people can love each other regardless of their sexual orientation, nobody explains to them that some people are uncomfortable in their own bodies,' he said, 'that migrants do indeed commit crimes, too, but they are punished like everyone else. Mainstream politics should ask itself what it is doing wrong to make all this happen. You cannot say to people to not talk about it any more.' He was also critical of 'mainstream politics, especially by the left-wing' in causing Uefa to abandon plans to reintroduce Russian teams to European youth competitions two years ago. 'The media started attacking Uefa and everyone backed off, saying: 'We would support the idea, but the governments won't let us,'' Ceferin said. 'In reality, they did not let the children socialise. Politics generates hatred and intolerance out of self-interest, while speaking out against it.' European leaders gathered on Monday in Kyiv to mark three years of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and passed a motion in the UN condemning Russian aggression. In the interview Ceferin praised Prince William as 'the most knowledgeable' football fan among the global dignitaries he has met, although he is more impressed by the Emir of Qatar who, Ceferin claims, often watches three football matches at once. He also rejects reports that the Champions League final will eventually be staged in the US after a media rights deal with the US agency Relevent. 'They have not discussed moving the Champions League finals to another continent,' he said. 'I probably would have known if we had negotiated it.' As for the Champions League, in which 36 teams have competed in a single league stage this season, Ceferin declared himself pleased. 'I only heard positive responses,' he said. 'I estimate that 99% of people are now satisfied with the renewed Champions League. The competition is even more unpredictable than before, nobody knew until the very last moment whether they would qualify. It's a perfect success, and the Champions League ratings are excellent.'
